Lu Haici didn’t have a mother.

Before the age of four, he lived with his aunt and grandmother.

Seeing other children with their fathers and mothers, he felt very envious.

He had asked his aunt why other children had parents while he did not.

His aunt told him that he had parents too—his father was a great hero, protecting the family and the country.

His mother had fallen ill and gone to a very, very far place.

At such a young age, he already understood what a great hero was and liked the idea of having a heroic father.

However, he didn’t quite understand what “very, very far” meant.

When he turned four, his father returned.

Seeing his tall and strong father made him incredibly happy.

Just as his aunt had said, his father was a great hero, just like the one he had imagined who could fight wild boars.

However, while his father returned, his mother did not.

He asked his father why his mother hadn’t come back.

His father told him that his mother had passed away.

He then asked his father what “passed away” meant.

He understood that being sick meant feeling very unwell, but he didn’t grasp the meaning of “passed away.”

His father explained that it meant she had died.

Though he was only four years old, he already knew what dying meant.

When he heard that his mother was dead, he cried many, many tears.

When his father came back, he took him to the army.

There, he made a good friend who also didn’t have a mother; his name was Ji Yang.

Because they both lacked mothers, they were very close.

However, six months ago, around the time of the last New Year, Ji Yang’s father remarried, and suddenly, Ji Yang had a new mother.

Everyone said stepmothers were bad and would bully children, but Ji Yang told him that his stepmother treated him very well.

He often went to Ji Yang’s house to play, and he had seen Ji Yang’s stepmother make meat buns for him and buy him milk candies.

So he secretly envied Ji Yang, thinking when he would have a mother who could also make him meat buns and buy him milk candies.

This time at his aunt’s house, his father asked him if he would agree to find a stepmother for himself.

Upon hearing this, he jumped up with joy.

Later, when he met his stepmother, she was incredibly beautiful, whiter than Ji Yang’s stepmother and twice as pretty.

The term “twice as pretty” was something he had heard his cousin say before.

Although no one explained its meaning to him, he understood it to mean prettier than pretty.

His stepmother, just as he wished, gave him milk candies.

He was so happy that he hid the candies, not wanting to eat them yet because he wanted to take them back to the army to show Ji Yang.

He wanted to tell Ji Yang that his new mother was also very nice.

What made him even happier was that from now on, he had a mother.

He had both a father and a mother—he was a normal child with parents!

In the following days, his mother treated him very well, even serving him meat during meals.

He felt like a doubly happy child.

However, after arriving at the army, his father went on a mission, and his mother changed.

She started asking him to fetch meals, wash dishes, and sweep the floor.

More importantly, his mother no longer smiled at him, and her tone when she spoke was no longer gentle; it carried an indescribable disdain that he couldn’t understand.

Lu Haici kept this to himself, not telling anyone.

Even when his good friend Ji Yang asked him about it, he didn’t say a word.

He had worked so hard to gain a new mother and become a child with a mother; he couldn’t speak ill of her.

He had once asked his aunt why a child in a mother’s belly couldn’t come out to play immediately.

His aunt explained that a child needed to stay in the mother’s belly for a long time before coming out to play because he wasn’t familiar with his mother yet, and it took time to get accustomed.

Once they were familiar, the child would come out to play.

So he thought, he and his mother were also unfamiliar; after he worked hard for a long time, his mother would get used to him and see him as a good boy, and surely she would like him.

Last night, his mother didn’t eat dinner, saying she felt unwell and wanted to sleep.

This morning, when he brought back breakfast, his mother still hadn’t gotten up.

He called her several times without getting a response.

Worried, he went into the room and found his mother lying on the bed.

No matter how much he called, she didn’t wake up.

Fortunately, after a while, she did wake up.

But after waking up, his mother complained of a headache.

He didn’t know what to do.

He knew that being sick could lead to death, so he ran out to call Aunt Qin, with whom he had been fostered.

Later, Aunt Qin called the family courtyard staff for help, and they took his mother to the hospital.

The doctor said if they had arrived any later, his mother would have been in a critical condition.

Thinking that he almost became a child without a mother again, Lu Haici’s eyes turned red again, and tears streamed down his cheeks.

Regarding this child who called her “Mom,” Lin Qingqing didn’t know what to say.

The original owner had considered him a burden.

Previously, she had pretended to like him in front of Lu Cheng, but once he left, she never treated him well.

Fortunately, in the past half month, the original owner hadn’t done anything excessively outrageous; otherwise, Lin Qingqing wouldn’t know how to handle the situation now.

“Mom…” Seeing that his mother was staring at him without saying a word, Lu Haici cautiously called out, his voice tinged with nervousness and uncertainty.

Lin Qingqing came back to her senses and smiled at the child. “Thank you, Xiaohai. You’re such a brave and good child.”

While she couldn’t treat him like the original owner did, she also couldn’t fully see herself as his mother.

After all, she was only 23, unmarried, and without children; she couldn’t place herself in the role of a mother.

However, she could treat him like a preschool teacher treating her students.

After all, she once wanted to be a kindergarten teacher.

Unfortunately, her teaching certificate had been sitting in a drawer as an ornament.

Thinking of their relationship in this way made Lin Qingqing feel more relaxed.

Besides, it was impossible for her to divorce Lu Cheng at this point.

Firstly, military marriages were not easy to dissolve.

Secondly, if she divorced, what would she do? In this unfamiliar and conservative era, if she returned to the original owner’s hometown after a divorce, who knows what people would say?

Even if the original owner’s family didn’t despise her, they would undoubtedly feel hurt by others’ mockery.

She couldn’t allow her choices to bring shame upon the family that loved the original owner.

Moreover, even if she returned to the original owner’s hometown without anyone mocking her, she wasn’t the original owner.

Living alongside those familiar with the original owner would surely expose her true identity.

Therefore, living with Lu Cheng, who wasn’t familiar with the original owner, was the safest option.

In summary, as long as she wasn’t capable of living well alone after a divorce, it would be irrational to pursue one.

Thirdly, it was 1963, and a dark decade was approaching.

A divorced woman would certainly have a hard time during that period, while a military marriage offered her some security.

In conclusion: take one step at a time.

“Mom, really?” Hearing her praise, Lu Haici’s eyes lit up, and his dirty little face seemed to glow with sunlight, making him come alive.

He grinned widely, resembling a little sun.

Perhaps influenced by his smile, Lin Qingqing also smiled. “Really, more precious than pearls.”

She couldn’t help but tease.

Lu Haici looked at her, observing her gentle smile and loving eyes.

His smile gradually faded, and soon, his eyes turned red again as he began to cry.

“What’s wrong?” Lin Qingqing asked nervously, ruffling his messy hair. “Why are you crying?”

Lu Haici bit his lip, trying not to cry, and shook his head vigorously.

Lin Qingqing suddenly recalled how he had run out to call for help while she was unconscious, which made her think that this child must have been worried about her.

What a kind-hearted child; despite the original owner’s disdain, he still cared for her.

Thinking of this made her smile even more gently: “Don’t worry, I’m fine now.”

Lin Qingqing was a social media influencer, and her voice was extremely important.

It wasn’t just about having a pleasant tone but also the clarity and speed of her speech.

When she spoke, her habits from being a streamer shone through; her pace was relatively slow, and her tone was soft, sounding gentle.

Coupled with the original owner’s youthful and fresh voice, it was particularly pleasing to hear.

Upon hearing his mother speak to him this way, Lu Haici felt immensely happy.

He thought he must have earned his mother’s approval by helping out with cooking and washing dishes, just like how it took time for a mother to have a baby.

Once the baby was born, it meant that both the mother and the baby were doing well together.

Right now, he and his mother were also doing well together.

Lu Haici decided that once they returned to the family quarters, he would show his milk candies to Ji Yang, saying that they were given to him by his mother, who liked him very much.

Suddenly, Lin Qingqing’s stomach growled.

At that moment, Lin Qingqing wished she could sew her stomach shut; the sound of her stomach growling in front of the child was too embarrassing for her image.

Lu Haici blinked, his small voice innocent, “Mom, your stomach is growling.”

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Lin Qingqing replied, “Yes, I’m hungry, but this is my first time in a hospital, and I don’t know where to get food. Can you help me look for it?”

Lu Haici immediately said, “Mom, Auntie said she would bring us food.”

Hearing that someone would bring food, Lin Qingqing relaxed. “But who is this auntie? I remember when I was sick, you went to call someone for help. Do you still remember those people? When I get discharged, we need to thank them.”

“Don’t worry, Mom, I remember them very well.” Lu Haici patted his chest and promised, “Dad said that I should remember everyone who helped me while he was away. When he comes back, we need to thank them. When you were sick, I called Da Wang’s mom. I call her Aunt Qin. Aunt Qin then called some others to bring you to the hospital, but I… I don’t remember the other people she brought.”

Upon saying this, Lu Haici felt a bit ashamed; he had just promised his mother but hadn’t managed to remember everyone.

Feeling embarrassed, he lowered his head, realizing he had boasted.